GOP mole undermining defense of marriage
A traditional marriage advocacy organization is concerned about what former RNC chairman Ken Mehlman is doing to undermine traditional marriage, now that he has admitted he is a homosexual.

Eco-terrorism an ignored threat
A spokesperson for a Christian environmental think-tank says last week’s hostage situation inside the Discovery Channel headquarters could be labeled an act of eco-terrorism.

Church at odds with ‘zoning czar’
A small church in Illinois has won a preliminary injunction against its community and can continue holding services at its rented site.

No time for GOP to relax
Gary Bauer says despite encouraging poll numbers, a huge GOP victory in the upcoming mid-term elections is hardly a foregone conclusion.

Perspective: Political fables
When Barack Obama criticizes “the policies that created this mess in the first place,” let’s at least get the facts straight and the names right.

Attorney: Calif. AG needs to defend the law
A conservative legal defense organization has taken action to force the California governor and attorney general to back Proposition 8, the constitutional amendment that protects traditional marriage.

Backlash against Christians feared
Open Doors USA says Christians around the world will be in danger if a Florida church goes ahead with its plans to burn Qurans on the upcoming anniversary of September 11.

Mosque opposition spawns death threats
A greater Nashville resident and outspoken opponent of the construction of a Murfreesboro mega-mosque in Tennessee has received two death threats after an appearance on the comedy program The Daily Show.

Media mum on Muslim opposition to mosque
A conservative media watchdog organization says the mainstream media is virtually ignoring the Muslims who are speaking out in opposition to the proposed “Ground Zero” mosque in New York City.

Hillary Clinton: United Nations is ‘Single Most Important Global Institution’
(CNSNews.com) – In a speech before the Council on Foreign Relations on Wednesday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton praised the work of the United Nations and said it is “the single most important global institution.” She mentioned the U.N. Security Council enacting sanctions against Iran and North Korea, peacekeepers patrolling the streets of Monrovia and Port-au-Prince, and aid workers assisting flood victims in Pakistan and displaced people in Darfur.

EPA Required Promotional Signs at All Stimulus-Funded Projects
(CNSNews.com) – The Environmental Protection Agency required all contractors and grant recipients to post signs informing the public that the projects they were carrying out had been funded with money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (stimulus package). The admission comes from an EPA Inspector General’s report answering questions from Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), the ranking Republican on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

Cardinal McCarrick: I Cannot Say, ‘Don’t Embrace The Quran’
(CNSNews.com) – Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, the Catholic archbishop emeritus of Washington, told CNSNews.com that if “someone sees the Gospel as the truth of God’s presence in our world, that person should embrace the Gospel.” He also said, however, “If a person sees the Quran as proof of God’s presence in the world, then I cannot say, ‘Don’t embrace the Quran.’”

Original Quran Burning Took Place in the Mid-Seventh Century
(CNSNews.com) – Muslims have killed, died, protested and boycotted over the real, perceived or rumored mistreatment of the Quran, but the book they revere as the final revelation of Allah to Mohammed was a version compiled by an early caliph almost two decades after Mohammed’s death. According to major Islamic sources, the caliph ordered all rival versions burned.

Burn Qurans – wrong…torch Bibles – OK
A pro-family organization says it’s hypocritical for high-ranking officials in the Pentagon to condemn a Florida church’s plans to burn Qurans when U.S. military personnel burned Bibles last year in Afghanistan.

Can the Quran burning be headed off?
W.L. Cati, the head of a Christian ministry dedicated to helping those trying to escape Islam, hopes to convince the pastor of a small church in Florida not to go through with plans to burn Qurans on Saturday.

Out-of-wedlock births double in EU
The European Union says the number of children born out of wedlock in the 27-nation bloc has doubled over the past two decades and now accounts for over one-third of the region’s births.

Fla. Preacher: Quran Burning Plan ‘Back to Square One’
Just hours after canceling “International Burn A Quran Day,” the Florida church behind the controversial event said Thursday it could move forward with its original plan if the deal it thought it struck turns out to be non-existent.

Judge orders stop to ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’
A federal judge said she will issue an order to halt the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, after she declared the ban on openly homosexual service members unconstitutional.

Home schoolers victims of U.N. treaty
The U.S.-based Home School Legal Defense group fears a U.N. treaty is causing increasing problems for home schoolers in various countries — Botswana, for example.

Citing Quran-Burning Threat, Islamic Body Wants U.N. to Outlaw ‘Offenses Against Religion’
(CNSNews.com) – Following the uproar over the threatened burning of the Quran by a small Florida church, a leading international Islamic body said Thursday that the United Nations should outlaw “all forms of offense against religions.” ISESCO, an arm of the 56-nation Organization of the Islamic Conference, called on the U.N. “to issue an international law criminalizing all forms of offense against religions under any circumstances.”

CBO Predicts U.S. Debt Crisis If Deficits Are Not Controlled
(CNSNews.com) – The Congressional Budget Office is warning that unless the federal government can control its appetite for deficit spending, the accumulated national debt could spark a fiscal crisis similar to those experienced by Greece and Ireland earlier this year. The non-partisan congressional accounting office – in a little-noticed July report – said the combination of a massive national debt and another fiscal downturn could spark the debt crisis.

EXCLUSIVE: ICE Says It’s Caught-and-Released 506,232 Illegal Aliens Who Are Now Fugitives
(CNSNews.com) – As of Sunday, Sept. 5, the Department of Homeland Security’s backlog of fugitive illegal aliens totaled 506,232 people — slightly more than the population of Sacramento, California. Fugitive illegal aliens are individuals who were apprehended for being in the U.S. illegally, were released ahead of their court proceedings, and deemed fugitive when they failed to appear in court.

Iran Shrugs Off Atomic Agency Criticism, Looks to Allies for Backing
(CNSNews.com) – Iran on Monday dismissed criticism from the U.N. nuclear watchdog and said it expected its allies in the developing world to rally around, again, in support of its nuclear program. In a report released Monday, the International Atomic Energy Agency said that Iran “has not provided the necessary cooperation to permit the agency to confirm that all nuclear material in Iran is for peaceful activities.”

9/11 Quran Burning Again Called Off
Saturday’s scheduled “Burn a Quran Day” is off but the preacher behind the controversial event has yet received the “sign from God” that would finally put an end to it – the moving of the proposed Islamic center near New York City’s Ground Zero.

Conservatives Say They Will Hold the Next Republican Majority Accountable
Washington (CNSNews.com) – If Republicans regain a majority in Congress, grassroots conservatives will not let them go astray again, said former House Majority Leader Dick Armey, a leading figure in the 1994 Republican takeover of the House. Tea parties and conservative rallies will not end if Republicans take power, Armey said at a rally on Sunday.

Mike Pence: ‘Enough Is Enough. We Are Tired of Borrowing and Spending’
Washington (CNSNews.com) – “Left unchecked, within a matter of 15 years, the U.S. will be like Greece where debt as a percentage of GDP will essentially be the same as theirs,” Rep. Mike Pence, the chairman of the House Republican Conference, told CNSNews.com after speaking at the 9/12 Taxpayer March on Washington.

Obama Urged to Confront Islamic States on Religious Freedom
(CNSNews.com) – At a time when religious tolerance is in the spotlight globally, President Obama should challenge Islamic governments to lift restrictions on religious freedom that target non-Muslim minorities, some activists say. Ali Al-Ahmed, director of the Institute for Gulf Affairs, said Washington should publicly call on the Saudis to permit churches.

Feds Spent $800,000 of Economic Stimulus on African Genital-Washing Program
(CNSNews.com) – The National Institute of Mental Health spent $823,200 of economic stimulus funds in 2009 on a study by a UCLA research team to teach uncircumcised African men how to wash their genitals after having sex. The genitalia-washing program is part of a larger $12-million UCLA study examining how to better encourage Africans to undergo voluntary HIV testing and counseling.

Boehner: Repeal Obamacare or It Will ‘Ruin’ Health System and ‘Bankrupt Our Country’
(CNSNews.com) – House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio), who likely would become speaker of the House if the Republicans take back control of the House of Representatives in the November elections, said Sunday on CBS’s “Face the Nation” that he wants to repeal the health-care law that President Barack Obama signed in March and replace it with less intrusive health-care reforms proposed by the Republican Party because he believes Obamacare will ruin the nation’s health care system while bankrupting the country.

In Deeply Divided Turkey, Voters Approve Constitutional Changes
(CNSNews.com) – A referendum on far-reaching constitutional changes has ended with victory for Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan but revealed a country deeply divided, with many suspicious about his religious agenda. Opposition parties are particularly unhappy about proposed changes to the way judges are appointed.

Opportunities abound for Rifqa
The head of a Christian ministry that is dedicated to exposing the truth about Islam feels it’s absolutely awesome that Christian convert Rifqa Bary has obtained her green card and can eventually apply for U.S. citizenship.

Minnesota: The ‘Islamic Republic’
A Messianic Jewish leader is outraged that officials at the Minnesota State Fair recently gave a group of Muslims great access to fairgoers so they could distribute Islamic propaganda.

Is Craigslist clean? Not so fast…
A media watchdog group isn’t convinced that the popular website Craigslist is permanently out of the business of running prostitution ads.

First Lady Calls for Kids’ Menus With Healthy Choices; Says French Fries Should Be Special ‘Request’
(CNSNews.com) – In remarks to the National Restaurant Association on Monday, First Lady Michelle Obama challenged every restaurant “to offer healthy menu options” for children — and “provide them up front so that parents don’t have to hunt around and read the small print to find an appropriately sized portion that doesn’t contain high levels of fat, salt and sugar.” Parents should “know that they can go into any restaurant in this country and choose a genuinely healthy meal for their kids.”

Government Spending Millions of Dollars on Public Health Training Centers
(CNSNews.com) – HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on Monday announced the award of $16.8 million to support 27 Public Health Training Centers at accredited schools of public health across the country. Most of the funding – $15.4 million – will flow from the Prevention and Public Health Fund established by the Democrats’ recently passed health care law. Among other things, Public Health Training Centers organize community based health programs.

U.S. Faces Growing Terror Threat from ‘Indigenous Muslims,’ Experts Find
(CNSNews.com) – The United States faces a new and growing threat from Islamic extremists radicalized in America, a new report finds. The conventional wisdom – that America can avoid the problem of increased domestic radicalization plaguing Europe – is wrong, according to the report published by the Bipartisan Policy Center’s National Security Preparedness Group, which is headed by 9/11 Commission Chairman Thomas Kean and Vice Chairman Lee Hamilton.

Newt Gingrich Predicts House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Will Retire
(CNSNews.com) – Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) predicted that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) will retire after the midterm elections when John Boehner takes over as speaker. He also predicted that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) will lose re-election.

Tea Party Must Stand Up to Liberal Smear Tactics, Conservative Activist Say
Washington (CNSNews.com) – The continued strength of the tea party movement is a testament to the increasing ineffectiveness of the mainstream media, says conservative activist Andrew Breitbart. He says conservatives should follow Sarah Palin’s example in standing up to big media outlets and liberal groups that have tried to intimidate and discredit those involved in the conservative tea party movement.

As Floodwaters Ebb, Violence Increases in Pakistan
(CNSNews.com) – The month of August brought a marked drop in terror-related fatalities in flood-hit Pakistan, but with the receding waters, the first two weeks of September have brought an increase in violent deaths. September already is the second-deadliest month this year for Pakistani civilians – and it is on track to surpass July’s highest monthly total of 220.

Criticism of Islam – media’s ‘hypersensitive’ topic
A conservative media watchdog says the recent coverage of the threatened Quran burnings by a small Florida church demonstrates that the mainstream liberal media have a “hypersensitivity” to criticism of Islam.

Analyst: Fire Obama
A former senior staff member at the White House says Republicans have an election-winning approach in attacking Barack Obama’s economic policies.

Religion – ‘a great good for humanity’
It may be elementary for most Christians, but new research shows that religious practice in the home has a significant, positive effect on a child’s level of academic achievement.

Perspective: The money of fools
Instead of thinking, too many people simply accept “catchwords” — leaving themselves wide open to people who are clever at spinning words.

Change brewing — big night for tea party
It’s tea time in America. Tea party-backed candidates in Delaware and New York dealt the GOP establishment shocks in Tuesday’s primaries — and in the Senate primary in New Hampshire, where it’s still too close to call, the tea party’s favorite trails only slightly.

A ‘tipping point’ in the NYC mosque debate?
Terrorism expert Robert Spencer says no one should be surprised that a radical Muslim close to the imam of the “Ground Zero” mosque would call the 9/11 terrorist attacks an “inside job.”

Court, White House team up against ‘gay’ ban
Military watchdog Elaine Donnelly argues that a recent court ruling makes it more difficult for the U.S. military to defend its decision to kick a lesbian nurse out of the Air Force Reserve.

Big gains ahead for GOP?
With President Obama’s approval ratings declining and his policy positions becoming less popular, some political analysts believe the GOP could garner sizable victories in the upcoming midterm elections.

Justice Breyer Suggests Quran-Burning May Test First Amendment
(CNSNews.com) – Supreme Court Associate Justice Stephen Breyer said on Tuesday that globalization may change the way the First Amendment applies in the United States, and he suggested that Pastor Terry Jones’ proposed Quran-burning may or may not be protected under the First Amendment.

Ohio Town Won’t Allow Tea Party to Celebrate U.S. Constitution in Town Square
(CNSNews.com) – Local officials in Ohio’s Andover Township have denied the use of their public square for a celebration of Constitution Day because of the “political affiliation” of its organizers. The Andover Tea Party asked to use the square for a rally celebrating the anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution on September 17, 1787.

O’Donnell Says She’ll Listen to the People, Not the ‘Experts’
(CNSNews.com) – Not only does Republican U.S. Senate candidate Christine O’Donnell have the support of Sarah Palin and Reagan Democrats, “I have the support of the people here in Delaware, and that’s who I’m counting on to win this general election,” she said in a Wednesday-morning interview.

Democrat Party Leader Seizes on Republican Criticism of Christine O’Donnell
(CNSNews.com) – Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine says he now expects to win seats in November that he previously thought Democrats would lose. In the case of Delaware, Democrats simply need to quote what Republicans have said about Christine O’Donnell, the conservative Republican supported by the tea party.

Poll: Voters Disapprove of How Obama’s Handling of Illegal Immigration
(CNSNews.com) – American voters by a wide margin, 60 to 28 percent, disapprove of the way President Barack Obama is handling illegal immigration, and by an even wider margin, 68 to 25 percent, they favor stricter enforcement over integrating illegal immigrants into U.S. society, according to a new poll by Quinnipiac University.

Defections Point to Dissent in Iran’s Diplomatic Corps
(CNSNews.com) – Five years after a newly installed President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ordered a purge of dozens of Iranian diplomats considered too “liberal,” a slow trickle of defections suggests growing unhappiness with his hard-line policies within the diplomatic corps. A diplomat based at the Iranian Embassy in Brussels said Tuesday he was seeking asylum in Norway, to “take a stand in support of the Iranian people.”

Killings in Kashmir Top Summer of Deadly Protests
(CNSNews.com) – This week’s deadly violence in the Indian-ruled part of Kashmir has been blamed on Muslim anger over reports of Quran-burning in the U.S., but it follows a summer of protests stemming from a longtime dispute. Some observers predict that jihadists and other elements supportive of Jammu and Kashmir’s secession will ensure that tensions escalate in the run-up to President Obama’s scheduled visit to India in November, in the hope of drawing Washington into some sort of mediation.

First Lady Cites Push for Healthy Produce, Even in Some Liquor Stores
Washington (CNSNews.com) – First Lady Michelle Obama said her “Let’s Move!” campaign to end childhood obesity requires grassroots efforts such as planting community gardens and making fresh produce readily available, even in liquor stores. She hailed a Detroit program in which a truck drives through the city selling “fresh, affordable produce.”

Libyan Membership Under Fire As U.N. Human Rights Council Gets Poor Grades
(CNSNews.com) – Four months after the world’s governments elected Libya to the U.N.’s top human rights body, victims of Libyan abuses joined human rights advocates Thursday in appealing for Muammar Gaddafi’s regime to be expelled. The push to eject Libya comes amid a continuing effort by the Obama administration to justify its decision to join the 47-nation council last year, after the Bush administration shunned it.

Quran-Burning Cartoons Sought in Iran
(CNSNews.com) – As Iran continues to react angrily over desecration of the Quran, it is turning to cartoons as an outlet for its outrage over perceived “Islamophobia.” Iranian House of Cartoons director Massoud Shojai Tabatabai said Wednesday that dozens of cartoons already have been submitted since the contest was first advertised on Monday. Several of the cartoons submitted include symbolic references to Israel as well as to Britain, another country reviled by the Iranian establishment.

Insurgents Attack Civilians Praying at Mosque in Afghanistan’s Helmand Province
(CNSNews.com) – Insurgents attacked Afghan civilians who were praying in a mosque in the city of Marjah in the Helmand province in Afghanistan, according to the U.S.-led International Security Assistance Force in that country. Two civilians were killed and another wounded as a result of the attack, which took place on Aug. 30.

GOP and tea party – combatants or collaborators?
A political scientist says it’s imperative that the tea party and the GOP stop their bickering and get behind the candidates who are trying to wrestle control of Congress from liberal Democrats.

Conservative summit to focus on values, character
Prominent conservatives from across the U.S. will meet this weekend in Washington, D.C. at an event that has grown to be the leading gathering for pro-family policies and other important issues facing the nation.

Europeans Push Global Tax to Fund Poverty-Reduction, Climate Change Causes
(CNSNews.com) – A group of 60 nations will meet next week at the United Nations to push for a tax on foreign currency transactions as a way to generate revenue to meet global poverty-reduction goals, including “climate change” mitigation. Spearheaded by European Union countries, the so-called “innovative financing” proposal envisages a tax of 0.005 percent (five cents per $1,000), which experts estimate could produce more than $30 billion a year worldwide for priority causes.

White House Science Czar Says He Would Use ‘Free Market’ to ‘De-Develop the United States’
(CNSNews.com) – White House Office of Science and Technology Director John P. Holdren says he would use the “free market economy” to “de-develop” the United States. “What we meant by that was stopping the kinds of activities that are destroying the environment and replacing them with activities that would produce both prosperity and environmental quality,” Holdren told CNSNews.com.

Muslim-American Soldier at Fort Hood Tells Al Jazeera: U.S. Army Training is ‘Propaganda Against Islam’
(CNSNews.com) – Zachari Klawonn, a Muslim U.S. Army specialist stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, told the Arabic-language television network Al Jazeera in a recent interview that training he had undergone in the U.S. military was “propaganda against Islam.” Klawonn said he was subject to harassment from fellow soldiers and from the Army command itself. A spokesman for Fort Hood told CNSNews.com that, as an American, Klawonn had a right to express his views and that he had informed his commanding officer that he was going to appear on Al-Jazeera.

Bozell Declares War on Liberal Media; Launches ‘Tell the Truth’ Campaign
(CNSNews.com) – Media Research Center President L. Brent Bozell III is calling on members of the liberal media to “Tell the Truth” about the administration’s efforts to push the U.S. toward socialism. On a Wednesday evening Webcast, Bozell announced the kick-off of a $2.1-million campaign designed to fight “the outrageous levels of liberal bias in the media today.”

Federal Contracts Set Aside for Small Businesses Going to Large Firms
(CNSNews.com) – The Small Business Set-Aside Program is intended to help small businesses get a certain percentage of government contracts, but for nearly a decade, the federal government has counted contracts with large businesses — in some cases, Fortune 500 firms and other publicly traded companies — toward meeting its legally required small-business contract goals. The Government Accountability Office and the SBA Office of Inspector General both issued reports in recent months citing problems with the program.

China-Japan Maritime Dispute Suggests China May Sense a Weakening in U.S.-Japan Ties
(CNSNews.com) – China on Friday appeared to be ramping up its most serious diplomatic dispute with Japan in years, by preparing to drill in a long-disputed gas field in the East China Sea. A former Bush administration official said in Tokyo Wednesday that China may have sensed a chill in U.S.-Japan relations, and was attempting to exploit it.

Obama weak on domestic terrorism
A terrorism expert agrees with the assessment of a new report that shows the Obama administration is not adequately dealing with the threats of homegrown terrorism attacks.

Senators ready to fight Defense Authorization Act
A Mississippi senator says he will fight against the efforts of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and other Democrats to break a GOP filibuster of the Defense Authorization bill because it contains an amendment designed to repeal the 1993 law that bans homosexuals from serving in the military.

Education reform and politics don’t mix
An education expert says the defeat of the incumbent in Tuesday’s Washington, D.C. mayoral primary goes to show that true education reform and politics don’t mix.

Is recession nearing an end?
With retail sales up some 4/10 of a percent, and as the U.S. is seeing more signs of modest economic growth, some investors recently declared that the recession is over, but others feel a word of caution is in order.

‘Values Voter’ Crowd Excited by November Prospects
The crowd at the Values Voter Summit Friday morning was clearly excited as speakers – one after another – spoke about the power shift from the government to the people and the return of America back to the foundational values of the founding fathers.